Peerless, the enterprise technology company behind SeaBaas, Mizan, Xplorer CRM, and Kusala, has unveiled its first Board of Directors and appointed Dr. Joachim Adebayo Adenusi as Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, signaling an aggressive push into Africa, the Middle East, and other fast-growing markets.
The governance refresh aligns with Peerless’s goal to position itself as a backbone provider of core digital infrastructure for banks, fintechs, enterprises, and public-sector institutions. The company says the new board will steer commercial strategy, strengthen risk oversight, and accelerate go-to-market across multiple regions.
A board built for scale
Peerless’s inaugural board brings together leaders spanning risk, law, finance, technology, and organizational design:
- Dr. Joachim Adebayo Adenusi — CEO & Co-founder; veteran of strategy, risk, and actuarial transformation with 25+ years across the UK, USA, Middle East, and Africa; former Director, UK Institute of Risk Management; UK “Risk Manager of the Year” honoree.
- Mustapha Azamare Otaru — Co-founder & Executive Director; nearly two decades in telco, banking, and tech with prior roles at MTN Nigeria and Sterling Bank; will lead global commercial strategy, revenue, and market expansion.
- Chinedu Ikwudinma — former Group Chief Risk Officer, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated.
- Tope Egunjobi — Managing Partner, Conduit Mews LP, corporate and commercial law.
- Adedeji Olowe — fintech pioneer; founder, Lendsqr; Chairman, Paystack.
- Patricia Jemibewon — former executive at Coca-Cola and Guinness, specializing in organizational transformation and design thinking.
Product stack and market momentum
Peerless builds and operates a suite of enterprise-grade platforms designed to modernize critical workflows and reduce total cost of ownership:
- SeaBaas — cloud-ready banking services platform for core integrations and rapid product launches.
- Mizan — risk, governance, and performance tooling for regulated institutions.
- Xplorer CRM — customer engagement and analytics.
- Kusala — automation layer for back-office operations.
The company reports a growing enterprise pipeline of 65+ organizations across Africa, with active deployments in top-tier commercial banks, fintechs, and public agencies. Operational footprints span West and East Africa and extend to the Middle East, supported by on-the-ground teams in each region.
“Backbone” ambition
Framing the company’s next chapter, Dr. Adenusi said Peerless aims “to be the backbone of Africa’s digital transformation,” adding that a fully constituted board provides the leadership depth to push boundaries in reliability, trust, and customer-centric innovation. Otaru’s remit concentrates on commercial execution—codifying a repeatable playbook for new-market entries and partnerships while deepening relationships with incumbent financial institutions.
Why the timing matters
Digital transformation across emerging markets has shifted from pilot projects to mission-critical programs. Institutions now prioritize platforms that are secure, compliant, interoperable, and cost-efficient. Peerless is positioning its stack as the connective tissue—abstracting complex legacy systems, accelerating product rollout, and enabling scale without runaway infrastructure spend. The company’s emphasis on governance and risk—reflected in its leadership DNA—targets one of the biggest barriers to modernization: aligning innovation with regulatory and operational rigor.
What’s next
With governance structures in place and leadership roles clarified, Peerless plans to expand regional delivery hubs, invest in product R&D, and deepen partnerships with banks, payment companies, telcos, and government agencies. The company’s stated mission remains constant: build customer-driven solutions that let institutions move faster, cut costs, and scale with confidence—in short, to help clients become truly “peerless.”
